Robbery in Bath is soaring at one of the fastest rates in the country, sparking new calls for a stronger police presence and city centre station.

Bath Police Station in Manvers Street was sold in 2015 for £7million and a new enquiry office was set up across the road at the council's one stop shop.

Avon and Somerset police also has a base on Lower Bristol Road - but the loss of the imposing former station has left a mark with residents emotionally and now some are questioning if the closure may be reflected in crime statistics.

The constabulary says police numbers have not fallen, and officers are policing in the community - rather than in a station.

An analysis by the Sunday Times reveals a 219 per cent surge in robberies in Bath and North East Somerset in just five years.

Year

Number of robberies

2013

32

2014

41

2015

44

2016

72

2017

102

Only seven local authority areas saw faster increases.

In the same period, the total number of threatened and violent offences against a person more than doubled. In 2013, the police recorded 1,600 such offences in B&NES, climbing to 3,517 last year.

The old Bath Police Station in 2013

Commenting on the statistics, Joe Rayment (Labour, Twerton) said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous that we don’t have a proper police station.

"When we don’t have police officers on the streets, no police station in the city, and officers stretched more than they ever have been, then crime will go up.”

However, Avon and Somerset police say there has been no change in the number of Bath police officers in recent years.

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The force added that a 'significant proportion' of the increase in violent crime was due to the offence of malicious communications being re-classified in 2015 to be included in the category.

"We still have a neighbourhood team of 10 city centre police officers and 10 PCSOs to deal with community issues and provide a visible presence. This number has not reduced since the move from Manvers Street," the police said.

"There is still a police enquiry office in Bath city centre, located across the road from the old police station, at the One Stop Shop, 3-4 Manvers Street. It’s open Monday-Sunday 8am to 8pm for members of public to report crime and make enquiries.

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"Neighbourhood and response officers start and finish their shifts at the police centre off Lower Bristol Road, just over a mile away from the old station site, within the Bath City South beat. They spend their time delivering policing within the community, rather than from a police station."

A spokeswoman for the police told Bath Live that the average number of robberies of personal property on the Bath city beats was 5.75 per month in the 12 months to June 15 2018.

The first of four robberies in the space of 30 minutes in February 2018 happened in Margaret's Buildings

Author Tim Newark said: “Talking to local shopkeepers and residents I’ve been shocked at the upsurge in local crime from shoplifting to break-ins to threatening anti-social behaviour, much of it linked to our drug-taking community and much of this could be deterred by a stronger police presence in Bath.

Since 2010, policing in Avon and Somerset has been hit hard with savings of £65 million and 655 fewer police officers - and has been asked to find a further £17 million by 2021/22.

The police said: "Our officers aim to provide reassurance through visible patrols and we deploy resources specifically to target identified hotspots for crime and anti-social behaviour.

"This has led to the issuing of criminal behaviour orders (CBOs) to a number of teenagers following their convictions in February for their involvement in a violent disorder in Bath.

"The CBOs aim to prevent further offending when the teenagers complete the detention and training orders to which they were sentenced. The orders prohibit them from entering Bath unless with an adult and from associating with other named teenagers.

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"Furthermore the government’s recently published serious violence strategy points out that violent crime is often linked to the supply of drugs and in particular the issue of ‘county lines’.

"We regularly conduct proactive operations to disrupt this type of offending, allocating resources based on assessment of threat, harm and risk.

"We continue to work proactively with partners and the community to tackle this trend with long-term problem-solving strategies.

"Some of our work will be less visible to members of the public, as we, alongside our partners, work to support vulnerable people into more positive lifestyles, and manage repeat offenders."